1986 - 1992 Toyota Supra

Exterior

The retractable headlights remained the crown jewel of the front end and for the first time in the Supra's history, the model finally received the sport-roof panel

The third-generation Supra made its debut midway through the 1986 model year and was largely seen as the first big evolution of the model. Gone was its association with the Celica, leaving the Supra to essentially carry its own weight. As it turned out, the model had little problem doing that, establishing itself as one of the most important sports cars Toyota had built to date.

As far as its design goes, the third-gen Supra came with a redesigned body that was far more in tune with what enthusiasts thought a sports coupe should look like. The retractable headlights remained the crown jewel of the front end and for the first time in the Supra’s history, the model finally received the sport-roof panel — what we now know as the Supra’s famous targa roof.

1987 Changes

In 1987, the changes included the addition of headlight washers and that horrid beige/tan, two-tone color scheme.

1988 Changes

Toyota made a handful of changes to the 1988 Supra, beginning with the mercy killing of the two-toned brown exterior paint that it introduced just a year earlier. The automaker also changed the Turbo model’s spoiler-mounted brake light from a boring square to trapezoid.

1989 Changes

In 1989, Toyota introduced the "White Package," a new option that basically consisted of an all-white look complete with white wheels. The Supra also gained new taillights, front bumper with an integrated lower grille, turn signals, side-view mirrors, upper grille and fog lights.

The Turbo Supra, which was already two-years old at this point, also received its own upgrades, beginning with a three-piece rear wing with an LED spoiler-mounted brake light.

1990 Changes

A larger protective laminate in front of the rear wheels was one of the biggest changes in the 1990 model, but it wasn’t the only one. Most of those changes, though, came in the interior of the Supra.

1991 Changes

The 1991 Supra was the first of its generation to use the modern Toyota oval logo, taking the place of the "Supra" emblem that had been around in past models. New body molding colors were done to match the exterior and standard 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels were also added into the standard equation.

1992 Changes

If you had a standard 1992 Supra, you’re probably wondering where the Sport-Roof Panel went. Well, 1992 was the year Toyota decided to drop it out of the base model and make it exclusive to the Turbo model.

1986.5 - 1992 Toyota Supra - Exterior Dimensions

Interior

The third-gen Supra was the first time Toyota really made it a mission to provide a more premium look and feel to the cabin of the sports car. Standard features like automatic climate control, tilt and telescoping wheel, cruise control, power windows, mirrors and door locks, and a top-level audio system were still included.

1988 Changes

The 1988 Supra saw a few interior changes to the Supra, including new coverings on the climate control and gear shifter, as well as a change in seat fabric that saw the old square patterns replaced with lines.

1989 Changes

Not much changed in the interior of the 1989 Supra other than Toyota replacing the old two-point seat belts with three-point versions.

1990 Changes

The 1990 model year became a banner year of safety for the Supra, as it gained a driver-side airbag.

1991 Changes

A new speedometer made its debut in the 1991 Supra and was joined by the introduction of the Shadow Gray and Deep Red interior colors, signalling a shift from the Medium Gray, Tan and Burgundy colors that were available in past models. In addition, the car’s front speakers became significantly bigger, increase in size from 3.5 inches to 6.5 inches.

1992 Changes

A CD player and subwoofer became an added options for the Supra, which at that time was some of the fanciest technological entertainment options available in cars. Additionally, the Shadow Gray leather seats gained black inserts.

Drivetrain

In 1987, the Supra made an even bigger mark on the industry when Toyota released the new, 3.0-liter, turbocharged six-cylinder.

A 3.0-liter, inline-six engine became standard for the third-generation Toyota Supra. With the new engine in tow, the Supra finally was able to produce 200 horsepower and 196 pound-feet of torque. Unfortunately, the output numbers of the third-gen Supra remained unchanged throughout its life — the new Turbo model in later years was the exception — a stark difference from the first two generations when it seemed that every year, Toyota was finding ways to squeeze more ponies from the engine.

The engine came mated to the W58 five-speed manual transmission and had the A340D automatic available as an option. Both transmissions delivered power to the rear wheels. The base Supra hit 60 mph in between seven and eight seconds.

1987 Changes

In 1987, the Supra made an even bigger mark on the industry when Toyota released the new, 3.0-liter, turbocharged six-cylinder. This engine injected 230 horsepower and 246 pound-feet of torque into the Supra Turbo. The turbo model used the R154 five-speed manual gearbox, which had higher first and fifth gear ratios than the W58 transmission, but lower second and third gear ratios.

1986.5 - 1992 Toyota Supra - Drivetrain/Specifications

Prices

In 1987, the Toyota Supra retailed for $19,990 with the Toyota Supra Turbo fetching a price of $22,260. By 1992, the prices for the Supra skyrocketed to $25,280 for the base Supra and $28,750 for the turbo version.

Competition

Nissan Z

The third-generation Nissan Z again arrived in 1984, slightly earlier than the third-generation Supra. In a lot of ways, the Z was also far ahead of the Supra in terms of its sports car design. That was evident with the arrival of the 1984 300ZX, which featured a pronounced wedge shape with distinctive pop-up headlights. Likewise, the turbo models had a distinctive scoop along the left side of their hoods.

Under its hood, the Nissan Z was given a new 3.0 liter, V-6, SOHC engine that came either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. The normally aspirated engine produced 160 horsepower while the turbocharged model had 200 ponies to tap into.

Conclusion

The third-generation Toyota Supra officially signaled the arrival of the model sans the Celica prefix. Not only was that a brilliant move on Toyota’s part, but it also allowed the Supra a platform of its own to showcase to the world just how awesome it was. It lasted for seven model years, but those years were some of the best in Toyota’s history and the Supra was a huge part of it.

• Love it
  • * Sporty and modern look
  • * First time the Celica reached 200 horsepower
  • * The turbocharged Supra arrived with 230 horses and buckets of torque
  • * Set the stage for the legend that followed
• Leave it
  • * Still had its hands full with the Nissan Z line
  • * Outside of the turbo’s arrival, the model didn’t get a whole lot of changes throughout its life